


Heaven's Honeysuckle

by LinaRai



Category: Supernatural
Genre: A little bit of angst, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Castiel/Dean Winchester Mutual Pining, Florist Castiel (Supernatural), Flower Language, Fluff, M/M, Minor Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester, Wakes & Funerals, Weddings, christening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27133945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaRai/pseuds/LinaRai
Summary: Dean is only meant to pick up the flowers for his brother's wedding, but the kind man with the blue eyes who works there keeps dragging him back to the small shop.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 7
Kudos: 82





	1. The Wedding

_ There is a language, little known, _

_ Lovers claim it as their own. _

_ Its symbols smile upon the land, _

_ Wrought by nature’s wondrous hand; _

_ And in their silent beauty speak, _

_ Of life and joy, to those who seek _

_ For Love Divine and sunny hours _

_ In the language of the flowers. _

- The Language of Flowers, London, 1875

The first time Dean visited  _ Heaven’s Honeysuckle  _ was to pick up the bouquets for his brother’s wedding. God only knows what they had been doing to run so late, but Sam had called him three hours before he was supposed to be walking down the aisle and had practically begged him to get them. He agreed, knowing that he had enough material to tease his brother about it for the next year, at least. Plus, it was always good to be owed a favour.

Cursing google maps, Dean drove past the shop three times before he spotted it. It was no wonder he had missed it; tucked away between a cafe and a bar and covered in ivy, the sign was almost impossible to read. Nevertheless, he was there now, so he parked his baby outside the front and hurried inside.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped inside, the door jingling a small bell to signal his entrance, was the overpoweringly sweet smell of flowers. Dean inhaled deeply, a smile creeping on his face at the pleasant scent, but instead of getting a lungful of refreshing air, he ended up sneezing.

The second thing he noticed was the laugh of the man behind the counter, a deep but unmistakable happy noise which rang through Dean’s mind, drawing his attention away from the gorgeous displays which were scattered throughout the shop and the charming exposed brick walls. Dean was struck by how beautiful the man was, with his messy black hair, cute apron and enchanting blue eyes. 

“Don’t worry,” the shopkeeper said, his voice intense and striking. “Everyone has that reaction.”

Dean snorted, which set off another sneezing fit. “How do you spend all day here?”

The man just shrugged. “I suppose I have got used to it by now.”

Dean had finally regained control of his faculties and remembered that it was probably polite to walk over to the counter and tell the dude why he was there. He was in a rush, after all. 

“Uh, I’m here to pick up some flowers,” Dean stated, still struggling to find words. 

“Under what name?”

“Dean,” he replied, before realising his mistake. “No, Sam. Sorry. Dean’s my name, but they’re for my brother. He’s getting married today and he sent me to-”

“It’s okay, Dean.” the man responded. “I’ll just fetch the flowers for you; they’re in the back.”

As soon as he disappeared through a door in the backroom, Dean cursed himself for his complete lack of control over his mouth. What the hell was wrong with him? He sees one cute guy and he was practically drooling, on his brother’s wedding day, no less! Before he could have a full mental breakdown, the dude had returned, two large boxes in his arms.

“Here we are! They are all packed up safe, so don’t worry about the journey,” he announced. “And, if I remember correctly… yup! They’re all paid for, so you’re good to go.”

Dean just stared at the boxes blankly for a minute. “Uh, thanks?” he managed, before grabbing them and running out the shop before he could say anything else embarrassing.

{o0o}

“Thanks, man,” Sam said as Dean gently placed the boxes down on his brother’s kitchen table. Sam grabbed a knife from a drawer and sliced them open, pulling out a smaller box, reminding Dean of some kind of weird nesting doll. Wrapped carefully in sky blue tissue paper that looked like fluffy clouds was a single red tulip, which Sam admired for a moment before expertly attaching it to his suit. 

“Nice corsage,” Dean commented, raising an eyebrow.

“Dude, it’s a boutonniere,” Sam replied, straightening his tie.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot to swallow a dictionary before I woke up this morning.” Dean quipped.

Sam just smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ve got one too.”

As much as he protested, snarked and spent the day complaining, Dean was secretly happy for his brother. You would have to be blind to not see how happy Jess made him, and he quietly wished that he would have a relationship like that one day.

His eyes skated over Jess’ beautiful bouquet of cherry red tulips and roses and stopped himself before his mind could wander to those blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas’ flowers: red tulips (declaration of love) and red roses (love).


	2. The Christening

Not even six months after Sam and Jess’ - or as Dean started calling them, Jam’s - wedding, there was another celebration to plan; the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Rebecca. The original Winchesters had never been particularly religious, but the brand new Winchester decided that it would be a nice idea to have a nice, traditional christening so that everyone could come down and see the new addition. Unfortunately for Dean, a mix-up with the church meant that Sam and Jess were rushing around the house like headless chickens, and to avoid being left alone with the baby (Dean couldn’t rule out the possibility of him accidentally killing it, and he would rather not have to deal with that for the rest of his life), he offered to go and pick up the flowers.

“Thanks, Dean,” Sam sighed in relief, ripping off a sheet of tinfoil and covering the dishes of food. “Tell Castiel thanks for the wedding, too, the flowers were gorgeous.”

And so, Dean found himself once again parked outside the charming little flower shop, unconsciously straightening the tie of the suit Sam had forced him into.

“Hiya,” Dean greeted, determined to not lose his mind like he did last time. 

“Hello,” came a voice from behind Dean, startling him. The man laughed when he saw Dean’s shocked expression. “Sorry, I was just clearing the window displays.”

“My brother says to thank you for the flowers,” Dean blurted, internally cringing at his complete lack of tact. 

“Ah, yes, the Winchester wedding. How was it?” he asked in return, blushing at the compliment.

Dean, having sternly calmed himself down, managed to casually describe the events of the wedding - including a particularly hilarious story about how two of his friends staged an elaborate prank during Dean’s best man speech - while the florist packed up the flowers for Rebecca.

“Well,” he said, handing the much smaller box over to Dean. “I am very happy for you, Dean.”   
  


Shocked that he had remembered his name, Dean just stood unmoving for a moment, until his brain caught up with the rest of his body. “No, thanks for the flowers, Castiel.”

Savouring the look of surprise on his face, his ocean blue eyes opened comically wide, Dean grinned evilly, waved, and drove straight to the church, arriving in just enough time to display the beautiful white and purple flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas’ flowers: white carnations (innocence and pure love) and spring crocuses (youthful gladness).


	3. The Funeral

Just as Christmas started to roll around, and Dean felt like they couldn’t possibly fit any more big occasions into one year, they ended up hosting the one event you can never plan for: a funeral. Ellen Harvelle, the woman who had practically raised them, had passed away after saving her daughter from a house fire.

Jo, her daughter, had understandably been very upset, so the Winchesters offered to sort out all the funeral arrangements. Ellen had been a pillar of the community and definitely deserved a huge, amazing funeral.

This time, it was Dean who suggested they order flowers from Castiel’s shop.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, quietly handing the box over.

Dean just shrugged. “We just wanted to do something nice. She deserves it.”

Castiel simply nodded, his blue eyes boring into Dean’s soul. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine, Cas,” he replied, not even noticing the nickname that had slipped out like Dean had said it a million times before. He tried to ignore how right the name sounded on his lips, a lullaby that sang the secrets of Dean’s heart. If he noticed, Cas didn’t complain, simply tilting his head to look at his customer, a concerned look on his face. 

“Do you want to come?” Dean asked before he could stop himself, knowing that if there was a heaven, Ellen was looking down at him and laughing hysterically.

“That’s very kind,” Cas replied, looking uncertain. “Are you sure? I made the flowers for her wedding a few years ago… she was a lovely person.”

Dean just nodded, grabbing the box off the counter. “My car is just outside, so I can give you a lift if you want?” he offered.

Smiling sweetly, Cas agreed. “Let me just close up first, and then I can help you put the flowers in the car.”

{o0o}

Neither Sam nor Jess said a word about Dean deciding to bring the florist to Ellen’s funeral, but he could tell they were thinking something. The dude said he kinda knew her, so it wasn’t that weird, surely?

Other people, however, did have a lot to say about Cas. Luckily, they were all good things; mostly thanks to flowers he had arranged for them, others compliments about the flowers at the funeral. Dean didn’t know much about flowers, but even he would admit the bouquets were beautiful.

“What are those red and pink ones called?” Dean found himself asking Cas after the service.

“Carnations. The red ones symbolise heartache, while the pink ones mean ‘I’ll never forget you’,” he explained, smiling at Dean’s interest.

Dean loved the way the man’s whole face lit up in excitement like a child at Christmas, and soon found himself asking about all the flowers.

“Those dark red ones are roses and symbolizes mourning, and those purple ones mean remembrance.”

Dean grinned, knowing Ellen would be mocking how girly he was being, asking about flowers of all things. “There are so many types of flowers,” he groaned, “how do you remember them all?”

Cas laughed, gently adjusting a bent stem of a… carnation? “You’ll have to come down to the shop one day and I’ll teach you.”

“I think I might take you up on that,” Dean smirked, and he may have been at a funeral, but it was the happiest he had felt in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas’ flowers: red carnation (alas for my poor heart, my heart aches), pink carnations (I’ll never forget you), rosemary (remembrance), dark crimson rose (mourning).


	4. The Lesson

Cas hadn’t seen Dean since Ellen’s funeral, and even though he had been busier than usual - people always ordered more flowers near Christmas - he found himself wishing that he would show up out of the blue. Not that he really had any reason to visit his shop.

He was just about to go on his lunch break when he heard the chime of the bell announcing someone’s arrival. Sighing, he decided he may as well take one more order before he started eating his depressing sandwiches, he went to the counter and was surprised to find Dean grinning at him.

“Hiya, Cas!” he greeted, looking slightly nervous. “I was kinda hoping I could take you up on that flower arranging lesson, but I don’t want to imp-”

“Of course, Dean,” Cas interrupted. “What would you like to learn?”

He smiled hesitantly before replying. “There’s this person I really want to give some flowers to… can you teach me how to make, like, a romance-y one?”

Cas’ joy at seeing Dean for the first time in a while melted away when he realised that he didn’t even have a chance with the handsome man; he was obviously interested in someone else. Almost embarrassed at how he had assumed the other man had been returning his affection when he clearly saw them as no more than friends, he agreed anyway. 

Dean, it turned out, was terrible at flower arranging anyway. Cas pitied the poor girl who would be presented with this mess of a bouquet; even after Cas had secretly tidied it up while Dean had gone to the bathroom, it still made the usually fresh and beautiful flowers look wilted and sad. Cas could empathise.

Even though Cas was disappointed that Dean didn’t like him in that way, he still enjoyed their afternoon. Dean asked him about the meanings of all the flowers he could name (which was limited to three: tulips, roses, and daisies) but luckily did not ask about the meanings of the flowers he was using. So what if Cas had spilt his own mourning for their lack of relationship into his work? No one would ever know.

In the end, Dean left with a messy but somewhat charming bouquet of spring flowers, and a huge smile on his face. Cas was left with nothing but time lost on his work and a broken heart.

{o0o}

Gabriel, being the annoyance he always was, had bugged poor ‘Cassie’ to tell him what was wrong for days before he finally broke down and told him about Dean. His advice - to ‘get over a dude you met once, idiot’ - was not particularly helpful, but his laughter at Cas’ petty use of flowers did make him laugh. So Cas was not in a particularly good mood when he went to work that friday morning, and Dean showing up was the final straw.

“Can I help you?” he sighed, dejectedly snipping the ribbon of the wedding flowers he had just finished, refusing to look up and be hit with the inevitable pain of pining.

“Uh, sorry, did I come at a bad time? I can go if-” Dean stammered, already starting to back nervously out of the shop.

Cas felt bad. He hadn’t meant to be that rude to Dean; it wasn’t his fault that he had a massive crush on the man. “No, it’s fine. I apologise. I have had a bad day, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“Well…” Dean started hesitantly. “These are for you.”

Cas finally looked up to find Dean holding out the ugliest bouquet of flowers he had ever seen in his life. The colour scheme was all over the place, the stems looked like they had been hacked off with a saw, and they seemed to be held together with some mix of wires and sellotape. Confused for a moment, Cas checked to see if Dean was serious, and saw his flustered smile and shaking hands, and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Once he had started, he found he couldn’t stop, but he was so touched by the sentiment that he started crying at the same time, probably making him look like some kind of mentally unstable madman.

“Are- Are you okay?” Dean asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern at Cas’ bewildering response.

“Those,” Cas finally wheezed out between laughs, “are the ugliest flowers I have ever seen in my life.”

“Yeah, I know,” Dean said, starting to giggle with him. “I researched the meanings and stuff though!”

Cas snorted, but finally regained enough control over his body to accept the hideous bouquet from Dean. It told a story that Cas thought he had got entirely wrong; one of beauty and love at first sight.

“D’ya know what the worst thing is?” Dean admitted sheepishly. “I had to go to another florist to get them.”

Cas sniggered at that, smiling down at all the hard work Dean had put into them. “I love them, Dean, but I really am going to have to give you another lesson. These are atrocious.”

Dean smiled back at him. “It’s a date,” he announced, before leaning over the counter and catching Cas’ lips on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas’ flowers to Dean: white acacia (secret love), daffodils (return my affection), narcissus (unrequited love)
> 
> Dean’s flowers to Cas: lavender rose (love at first sight), arbutus (you are the only one that I love), variegated tulip (beautiful eyes).
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this detour from my usually depressing as hell fics. I have absolutely no idea where this idea came from, but I had fun writing it!


End file.
